ESA brings to each project a broad point of view that comes from over four decades of working with private developers, municipal utilities, the public, and federal, state, and local agencies coupled with the project-specific expertise and practical knowledge it takes to perform at the local level.

At ESA, we employ over 500 bright, creative, and dedicated professionals throughout our California, Florida, Oregon, and Washington offices. Ours is a top notch team widely recognized for technical excellence and solutions-based consulting.

ESA was founded in California in 1969, shortly before enactment of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)—landmark laws that have greatly influenced environmental planning and analysis.

Environmental Science Associates (ESA), a leading environmental consulting firm, recently completed a landmark study reinforcing the importance of restoring coastal habitats in Tampa Bay and around the nation to buffer the effects of rising seas and a changing climate.

ESA partnered with Restore America’s Estuaries and several leading conservation agencies and organizations including Tampa Bay Estuary Program and Tampa Bay Watch on the “Tampa Bay Blue Carbon Assessment: Summary of Findings.” The study highlights the substantial contribution that Tampa Bay coastal habitats provide for capturing and storing carbon, and provides new data to help local organizations and agencies understand what actions are needed most to help the Bay mitigate the effects of sea-level rise, while continuing to improve habitat health and the Bay’s overall environmental and economic integrity.

“There is an opportunity for coastal managers to use this data to plan for sea-level rise,” said principal investigator scrooks [at] esassoc [dot] com (Dr. Steve Crooks), ESA’s Climate Change Services Director. “By targeting vulnerable areas for conservation and restoration, we can improve habitat diversity and health in Tampa Bay.”

lsheehan [at] esassoc [dot] com (Lindsey Sheehan, PE), oversaw the report preparation and conducted large-scale analysis and developed new methodologies for this innovative study. “The habitat evolution model we created for this study will help managers prepare for and address changes in coastal regions by understanding how coastal habitats will respond to future sea-level rise,” said Lindsey.

For more information about this study, visit the Restore America’s Estuaries website and read their press release.